Flex your SEL Muscles with Marcy Melvin as she explains the importance of not taking student behavior personally. She unpacks why it's crucial for teachers to see beyond surface-level disruptions, understanding that these moments aren't personal attacks but cries for help. This talk is a game-changer for educators looking to connect more deeply with their students and transform their approach to classroom challenges.
Transcript:
QTIP: Quit Taking It Personal!
"One of the things I like to remind people is students don't sit up at night trying to plot ways to make it hard for the teacher in the classroom. That intentionality does not exist. One of my favorite phrases is Q-tip. Quit taking it personal. It's not personal.
If a student shows up and they don't have the capacity to handle the stress of the day and things go sideways, then that student is struggling with something.
It is not an attack against that adult. It's interesting because I feel like we're living in a world where everything feels like a personal attack, and it isn't. When someone shows up and they're struggling, that's someone showing up with their struggles. And so if we can not take it personal and then see that person, if they're struggling, then there's some need that they have that's not being met."
-Marcy Melvin, MA